The Cavaliers chose not to extend Wayne Ellington a qualifying offer by this weekend's deadline, a league source told the Beacon Journal, effectively making him an unrestricted free agent. But the team remains open to re-signing him.

Had the Cavs extended the qualifiyng offer of about $3 million, it would have made Ellington a restricted free agent and given the Cavs the opportunity to match any offer he received in free agency. Now he's free to negotiate with any team, although the Cavs remain high on him and view this as a strategic move to protect their cap space.

INDEPENDENCE: Now that he is here, the Cavaliers will go to work learning how to best use top overall pick Anthony Bennett. Figuring out how to play him with Tristan Thompson will be a balancing act that begins right away.

“They have to go out and compete,” coach Mike Brown said Thursday as the Cavaliers introduced Bennett and second-round pick Carrick Felix. “They may be buddies, but once they cross that line, I think they’ll get after each other. It’s great to have depth in all areas.”

^ Here was the problem with this draft: Everyone was flawed. Nerlens Noel’s severe limitations offensively and mixed reports on his knee obviously scared off more teams than just the Cavs. Noel can’t shoot outside the paint. At all. And that’s a problem.

INDEPENDENCE: The Cavaliers selected Arizona State swingman Carrick Felix in the second round (33rd overall) in Thursday's NBA Draft.

Felix is a 6-foot-6, 210-pound shooting guard/small forward who is an excellent athlete with good size and length. He averaged 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior with the Sun Devils. He led the team in rebounding and ranked second in scoring.

INDEPENDENCE: The Cavaliers tried to trade up in the first round Thursday night, but ultimately stayed at No. 19 and came away with a player they wanted anyway. The Cavs selected Russian Sergey Karasev after entering the draft belieivng Karasev wouldn't fall that far.

Predraft buzz had plenty of teams interested in Karasev between picks 10 and 15, but Karasev tumbled amid a flurry of trades around the middle of the draft.

INDEPENDENCE: The Cavaliers selected UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the first pick in Thursday’s NBA draft in a stunning move that surprised most everyone.

Bennett averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a freshman with the Rebels. Cavs General Manager Chris Grant scouted him heavily during the college season and came away impressed with his explosive ability to score.

Longtime NBA coach Jim Boylan is returning to the Cavaliers as Mike Brown's lead assistant, a league source confirmed Wednesday.

Boylan previously worked for the Cavaliers in the 1990s. He has worked for six NBA teams and served as interim coach of the Milwaukee Bucks this season following Scott Skiles' resignation. He was also an interim coach for the Chicago Bulls during the 20078-08 season.

Akron’s Zeke Marshall will work out for the Cavaliers on Monday, a league source confirmed to the Beacon Journal. If he is drafted, Marshall is expected to go in the second round.

The 7-foot center won the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year award as both a junior and a senior, but he has been inconsistent in his private workouts and left a few team scouts disappointed.

Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller will participate in a minicamp for the U.S. national team, making the Cavaliers the only NBA team with three representatives at the four-day camp.

USA Basketball officially released the list of 27 players on Wednesday. Irving’s inclusion was a foregone conclusion and confirmed by USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo in March, but Waiters and Zeller are two of six players coming off their rookie seasons invited to the camp.